Passport Photo Maker: The Right Passport Photo Size for Any Country

Passport Photo Size by Country

Need the size fast? Pick your document in the passport photo maker above and it loads these numbers for you. The table is here so you can double check before you apply.

Document	Photo size	Head size, chin to top of head	Background
US passport	2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm)	1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35 mm)	White or off white
US visa and DV lottery	2 × 2 inches, digital 600 × 600 px	50 to 69 percent of the photo height	White or off white
UK passport	35 × 45 mm	29 to 34 mm	Plain cream or light gray
Canada passport	50 × 70 mm	31 to 36 mm	Plain white or light colored
Australia passport	35 × 45 mm (up to 40 × 50 mm allowed)	32 to 36 mm	Plain white or light gray
Schengen visa and EU	35 × 45 mm	32 to 36 mm	Plain and light colored
India e-Visa	Square JPG, 10 to 300 KB	25 to 35 mm	Plain and light colored
China visa	33 × 48 mm	28 to 33 mm	White

Rules change now and then. Before you send anything, take thirty seconds to read the official photo page for your document.

How to Make a Passport Photo Online

1. Pick your document. Choose the passport or visa from the list at the top. Size, head height and background rules load right away.
2. Add a photo. Drop in a clear, front facing picture of yourself, or paste one with Ctrl+V. JPG, PNG and WebP files up to 40 MB all work.
3. Let it line up. Your face is found automatically. The tool scales your head, levels a slight tilt and centers everything in the frame.
4. Check the guides. Two orange bands show where the top of your head and your chin should land. Drag, zoom or straighten if something looks off.
5. Save it. You’ll get a digital JPG for online forms and a print sheet with several copies, as a JPG or a PDF.

That’s really all there is to it. No account, no app to install, no watermark, and it’s free.

Got an iPhone photo in HEIC format? Most browsers can’t open those yet. If yours can’t, run it through HEIC to JPG first and come back. The tool works on one photo at a time, so a family will need a few rounds.

Passport Photo Requirements Most Offices Share

Every country writes its own rules, yet the core list looks much the same. These are the US State Department rules, with notes where other countries differ.

• Recent. A US passport picture must be taken within the last 6 months. The UK is stricter and asks for a photo from the last month.
• Expression. Face the camera with both eyes open and your mouth closed. A neutral look is safest everywhere.
• No glasses. The US doesn’t allow eyeglasses in passport or visa photos, apart from rare medical cases with a signed doctor’s note.
• No hat. Head coverings are only allowed for religious or medical reasons, and you’ll need a signed statement. Your full face must still show.
• Even light. No shadows on your face or behind you, and no red eye.
• No filters. Beauty modes and face smoothing apps are out. The State Department checks photos for digital changes.
• Sharp and in color. A blurry, grainy or pixelated image can get sent back.

Other countries handle glasses differently. Canada accepts them if there’s no glare and your eyes are clear. The UK says don’t wear them unless you have to, while Australia only allows them for medical reasons.

You’ll sometimes see these called biometric photos. That just means the picture follows strict rules on size, pose and lighting so face matching systems can read it.

What “Head Size” Actually Means

This is the rule that trips most people up. Head size is measured from the bottom of your chin to the top of your head. It isn’t the size of your face, and it isn’t the size of the photo.

Take a US passport photo. The whole picture is 2 × 2 inches, but your head has to measure between 1 and 1 3/8 inches inside it. Too small and you look like you’re standing in a doorway. Go too big and the top of your hair gets cropped.

The tool does this math for you. It finds your eyes and mouth, works out where your chin sits, and traces your outline to find the very top of your hair. Your head is then sized to the middle of the allowed range, which leaves a little room either side.

Guides and live checks

Turn on Show guides and you’ll see the two orange bands, a center line and an oval for your face. Need to adjust? Drag the photo, use Zoom, or Straighten up to 15 degrees either way. Auto fit puts everything back if you go too far.

Under the preview, live checks report your head height in millimeters against the allowed range. You’ll also see whether your face is centered, if your chin or the top of your head is cut off, and whether the resolution is too low. There’s a background status too, so you know where that stands before you save.

Passport Photo Size in Pixels

Online forms care about pixels and file size, not inches. Here are the digital sizes the tool saves for each preset that has one.

Document	Digital size	Format and file size
US passport	1200 × 1200 px	JPG
US visa and DV lottery	600 × 600 px	JPG, 240 KB or less
UK passport	827 × 1063 px	JPG, at least 50 KB
India e-Visa	600 × 600 px	JPG, 10 to 300 KB
China visa	354 × 472 px	JPG

JPG quality is tuned automatically, so the file lands inside any KB limit. Print sheets and custom sizes are saved at 300 DPI, which is plenty for a sharp print.

US passport and visa photo size in pixels

Printed, a US passport photo is 2 × 2 inches. For the digital copy, the tool saves a 1200 × 1200 pixel JPG. Visa photos sent online follow a tighter rule. The State Department asks for a square JPG between 600 × 600 and 1200 × 1200 pixels, at 240 KB or less.

So the tool saves US visa and DV lottery photos at 600 × 600 pixels and keeps them under 240 KB. That one file covers a visa photo and a DV lottery photo.

UK passport photo size

A printed UK passport photo is 45 mm high and 35 mm wide, with a head between 29 and 34 mm. The background should be plain cream or light gray, not bright white. Digital photos for an online application need to be at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, between 50 KB and 10 MB.

Choose UK passport and the tool switches to a light gray background on its own. The same 35 × 45 mm photo size is used for Schengen visas, Australian passports and plenty of other documents, though head sizes vary a little.

Passport Photo Background

You don’t need a studio. Under Background, pick White, Light gray or Off white, and the wall behind you gets replaced right in your browser. Off white is a touch softer than pure white.

Already shot against a plain light wall? Keep Original. For a US application that’s often the smartest choice, since the State Department asks for photos that aren’t digitally altered. Background replacement is there for when your wall really isn’t usable.

A quick tip from experience: the cleaner the wall in your photo, the cleaner the edges come out. Busy backgrounds, posters and patterned curtains confuse any cutout. Zoom in on your hair in the preview before you save. Fine flyaway hairs are the hardest part, and if the edge looks rough, a retake against a better wall fixes it faster than anything else.

How to Take a Passport Photo at Home

Your phone camera is more than good enough. What matters is how you take the shot.

• Get help. Ask someone else to hold the phone. Arm’s length selfies tend to stretch your nose and shrink your ears.
• Stand back. The State Department suggests standing several feet away from the wall, which keeps your shadow off it. Your helper shouldn’t stand too close or too far, either.
• Keep the camera at eye level and shoot a little wider than you need. The tool will crop it.
• Face the light. Stand facing a window during the day. Light from one side throws shadows across your face.
• Look straight at the camera with both eyes open and your mouth closed. Hair should stay off your eyes.
• Take off your glasses and any hat, unless one of the exceptions above applies to you.
• Skip filters and beauty modes. Offices want the photo as the camera took it.

Grab a few shots and pick the sharpest one. If your phone saved the selfie as a mirror image, Flip Image turns it back the right way. The whole thing takes about two minutes and saves you a trip.

Digital Photo or Printed Photo?

It depends on how you’re applying. Online forms, like a US visa application or an India e-Visa, want a digital file with exact pixel sizes and a file size limit. Paper applications, such as a US passport by mail, need printed photos.

You get both from one click. The digital JPG is sized to the pixel rules for your document. Alongside it, the print sheet holds several copies at true size, ready to cut.

Printing on a 4×6 Passport Photo Template

Six 2 × 2 inch photos fit on one 4×6 print, and eight 35 × 45 mm photos fit on the same size. Choose 4×6, 5×7, Letter or A4 under Print sheet before you save. Thin gray cut lines mark where to trim.

Each sheet comes as a JPG and as a true size PDF at 300 DPI. Many people send the 4×6 file to a local photo counter, since it’s a standard print size. Others use a home photo printer.

The one thing to watch is scaling. Print at actual size, or 100 percent. Any “fit to page” or “fill” setting will shrink or crop your photos, and then the size is wrong. For a US passport, use matte or glossy photo quality paper. Photocopies and scanned photos aren’t accepted.

Once the sheet is printed, measure one photo with a ruler. A 2×2 photo should be exactly 2 inches on each side. If it’s off, check your print settings before cutting the rest.

Your Photo Stays on Your Device

It’s a fair concern, since this is your face. Everything here happens inside your browser tab. Face finding, background cleanup and the final files are all made on your own device. Your photo isn’t sent to our server or stored anywhere. Close the tab and it’s gone.

What This Tool Won’t Do

Being upfront saves you time. This passport photo editor sizes, crops, levels and cleans up the background of a photo you already have. It doesn’t do the following.

• Take the photo for you. There’s no camera inside the tool, so use your phone first.
• Handle several photos at once. It works on one photo at a time.
• Retouch skin, remove blemishes or change your clothes.
• Order prints or mail them to you.
• Promise approval. Only the passport or visa office decides if a photo is accepted, and this site isn’t connected with any government.

More Questions People Ask

Do all countries use the same pixel size?

No, it depends on the document. US visa and DV lottery photos are 600 × 600 pixels. UK digital passport photos need at least 600 × 750. For a China visa, the tool saves 354 × 472. Print sheets come out at 300 DPI.

Can I smile in my passport photo?

For a US passport, yes. The State Department allows a natural smile, as long as both eyes are open and your mouth stays closed. US visa photos ask for a neutral expression, and so do the UK, Canada and Australia.

How do I make a 2×2 photo?

Choose US passport or US visa, add your photo and save it. You’ll get a 2 × 2 inch photo as a digital file, plus a 4×6 sheet of six to print. Think of it as a free 2×2 inch photo maker that runs in your browser.

How recent does my photo need to be?

US passport and visa photos must be taken within the last 6 months. Canada and Australia use the same limit. A UK passport photo must be from the last month.

Can I wear a hat or head covering?

Only for religious or medical reasons in a US passport photo. You’ll need to include a signed statement, and your full face has to be visible with no shadows.

What if my document isn’t on the list?

Choose Custom and type the width and height in millimeters or inches. Then set how much of the photo the head should fill, as a percentage. Since many countries use 35 × 45 mm, the Schengen preset often fits too.

More Free Image Tools

• Background Remover cuts a person out of any photo.
• Image Compressor brings a photo under a form’s file size limit.
• HEIC to JPG turns iPhone photos into JPG files you can add here.
• Image Resizer sets an exact width and height for any picture.
• JPG to PDF bundles photos or scans into a single PDF.

See every free picture tool on the Image Tools page.